I come from Croatia.
Even I shoot 50mm in 95% of time - for Venice and Croatia I also say +1 for wide angle lens.
Some of the places in Istria, Croatia worth visiting (not far from Venice):
Pula (famous for colosseum look like Arena en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pula_Arena)
Motovun (famous because of film festival
www.motovunfilmfestival.com and best-preserved medieval fortress)
Grožnjan (very small and nice place - approximately twenty galleries and art atelier, and also summer international film school)
Poreč (Euphrasian Basilica - UNESCO World Heritage)
Hum – Buzet (Guinness World Record holder for the smallest town in the world.)
Višnjan (Višnjan Observatory -
www.astro.hr and wine)
When in Istria (my favorite part of Croatia) - rent a car, everything is close and in short driving distance.